Midnight Hour (Shadow Falls: After Dark #4)(130)

ducked. She shot back up, searching for Zander. She couldn’t find her. Miranda bolted off the platform and took off. The wind flung her hair

around; her dress, now heavy with rain, whipped in the air. Several robed men charged her.

One grabbed her. He went flying with the wind. Then two more came, each latching on to her arms.

“Help me.” She looked at the trees. A limb, driven by wind, swept forward, loose vines tangled around one of the guy’s legs and yanked him

up. But just as quickly another man took his place.

With both arms restrained, Miranda started to panic then she heard Della: An attacker will try to hold your hands to restrain you. That’s

okay. Your legs are the strongest part of your body. And if he’s holding your hands, he’s not protecting his boys.

She took down the old fart to her right first. The second fart to her left came next. They dropped, screaming. But the wind yanked their

screams away.

Running, she went in search of Zander. Then it stopped. The rain. The wind. The storm.

“Where’s Zander?” Miranda yelled.

The trees opened up and Miranda saw the old man dragging Zander by her hair.

She almost took after them, but Zander’s hair started to change from gray to brown.

Miranda stood still, poised to run if needed, but she sensed how important it was for Zander to do this.

Miranda spoke from the heart. Jeremiah says you have the power.

Zander’s arm reached out and she latched on to the small tree. The old man lost his footing and let go of her hair. But Zander didn’t get to

her feet, didn’t fight.

The old man, still on the ground, gave Zander an order.

The witch, no longer old, feeble, or anyone’s slave, stood up. She kicked the warlock. He curled up in a ball. She kicked him again. Then she

looked up and yelled something out, like a warrior claiming victory. Miranda couldn’t make out her words, but she watched as a limb from a

nearby tree swept down, wrapped around the man’s torso and carried him up, trapping him in the tree.

Miranda gasped when she saw that dozens of men were ensnared in the vines.

And that’s when a vampire swept in. No, not one, but three, four, five.

Burnett, Della, Kylie, and then at least a dozen more, all the Shadow Falls camp vampires, landed and circled her. Then a large bird descended.

Perry.

Tears filled her eyes. She ached for him.

He morphed. She waited for him to run to her, to pull her into his arms. She needed to feel safe. To feel loved.

He didn’t come. He stood there, staring at her with anger and disappointment.

Burnett, his eyes bright and wide, looked around, nodding as he moved—as if counting the downed warlocks.

“You okay?” the vampire asked.

Tears filled her eyes. She nodded. Her gaze went to Perry.

“Is this everyone?” Burnett asked, looking at a guy sprawled out on the ground.

She pointed up. Burnett and all the vampires looked up. Murmurs of surprise echoed as they saw the men caught in the trees.

Burnett looked back at her. “How…?” He shook his head. “Later.” He turned back to his crew. “Cuff the ones on the ground first. Then”—

he pointed up—“get the ones up there.”

Miranda walked toward Perry. He held his hand to stop her. She did, but it hurt.

“Perry,” she said and took another step.

He took one back. His eyes turned a bright yellow. His aura was both dark, bright, and angry. She’d never seen him like this.

“I’m sorry.”

“No.” He shook his head. “Do you have any idea the hell I’ve been through the last eight hours?”

He shifted and before she could say anything, he took flight. Tears filled her eyes. Kylie swooped in. She wrapped her arms around Miranda.

Then she spoke. “I’m gonna hug you, because you look as if you really need one. But we’re all pretty pissed at you right now.”

*

Kylie wasn’t joking. Everyone was angry. Her parents were waiting at the FRU station. Her dad yelled at her. Her mother wouldn’t talk to her.

Then a very irritated Burnett made her go over everything a dozen times. It didn’t help that Zander hadn’t been found. Miranda would have

worried, but a feeling said she’d be okay.

She explained why the warlock gang wanted her and Tabitha, and how they had gone to Jax and his gang to find and kidnap them. It didn’t seem

to matter too much. They were still angry. The two to forgive Miranda the quickest were Kylie and Della. But only after Miranda pointed out

that they’d both, at one time, left to take care of something on their own. Della still couldn’t look at her without growling.

Miranda could take the vamp’s attitude. Perry’s not so much. Didn’t he know how much she needed him?

Back at the cabin, Holiday came to see her. Teary-eyed, Miranda soothed Holiday’s ire by telling her about how she’d gotten this message at

the falls and considered it blessed by the death angels.

Holiday hugged her. “You did the right thing. It’s just hard to be on this side of it. We thought we’d lost you.”

Miranda dropped down on her bed. “I know, but if I’d told Burnett, what were the odds he’d have let me go?”